Thursday, June 24, 2010

Border States Are Safe Today and Only Getting SaferBy Ann Garcia, Center for American ProgressJune 14, 2010

Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, believes there to be high levels of "murder, terror, and mayhem" in Arizona; however, evidence actually points to declining levels of crime in Arizona and other border states. [...]

When Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, announced that the Obama administration would send as many as 1,200 additional National Guard troops to bolster security at the Mexican border, she held up a photograph of Robert Krentz, a mild-mannered rancher who was shot to death this year on his vast property. The authorities suspected that the culprit was linked to smuggling.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

"Too many U.S. employers actually like the current state of the immigration system-a system where immigrants are both plentiful and undocumented-afraid and available. Too many employers like a system where our borders are closed and open at the same time-closed enough to turn immigrants into second-class citizens, open enough to ensure an endless supply of socially and legally powerless cheap labor."

Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here with you in the great city of Cleveland. I want to talk to you about the grave economic challenges we face today - and the labor movement’s vision for where we need to go. [...]

When I was a kid growing up in Nemacolin, Pa., those are some of the slurs people used for us.

Why? Because our parents or grandparents came to this country from somewhere else, fleeing poverty and war, seeking opportunity and hope. As a kid, every person I knew who was older than 50 spoke broken English. [...]

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The letter appealing to President Obama was written in frustration in January, by a woman who saw her family reflected in his. She was a white United States citizen married to an African man, and the couple — college-educated professionals in Manhattan — were stymied in their long legal battle to keep him in the country.

Could the president help, asked the woman, Caroline Jamieson, a marketing executive. She described the impasse that confronted her husband, Hervé Fonkou Takoulo, a citizen of Cameroon with an outstanding deportation order from a failed bid for asylum.

The response came on June 3, when two immigration agents stopped Mr. Takoulo, 34, in front of the couple’s East Village apartment building. [...]

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Eric Balderas '13, a rising sophomore in Eliot House, was detained by immigration authorities on Monday and is facing deportation to Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

Activists and friends of the undocumented student said that Balderas was allegedly detained when he tried to use his Harvard identification to board a plane from his hometown of San Antonio, Texas to Boston, the AP reported. [...]

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A cellphone video, released Thursday, appears to show a U.S. Border Patrol agent stopping several people attempting to cross the international border between Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. The video shows the agent draw his gun and shoot at the Mexican side of the border where he allegedly killed Sergio Adrián Hernández.

The killing of a Mexican citizen by U.S. law enforcement, the second in two weeks, has drawn sharp criticism from Mexico, with some politicians calling for the agent’s extradition. [...]

PHOENIX – As an estimated 100,000 people marched six miles May 29 to protest Arizona’s new immigration law, they were led by Lakotas, Paiutes, Yavapai-Apache, Tohono O’odham, Akimel O’odham, and other tribal members.

Those in front held a banner that read, “Lakota-Nation: America Was Built With Stolen Land. No Border. No Boundaries.” [...]

The room was small, but it was filled with enormous possibility. And everyone in there knew it.

On Saturday, May 29th, after a long, hot day of marching, chanting and rallying, a group of activists met in a windowless room at the Phoenix Doubletree Inn. Many had worked non-stop for weeks on end, mobilizing the tens of thousands who poured out of their homes in support of justice for the migratory workers and families whose lives and livelihood are threatened by Arizona immigration policy. Their phone-banking and door-knocking and e-mailing and community meetings had produced sea of people who filled the streets with their bodies and their voices. [...]

Friday, June 11, 2010

The DREAM Act supporters ended their hunger strike in front of Senator Schumer's New York City office on June 10 with a brief "die-in" at the building's entrance and with surprise sit-ins at two of Schumer's other offices, one in Washington, DC and one in Melville, NY.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

DAY 10: NY RALLIES FOR IMMIGRANT YOUTH: Senator Schumer Misses Deadline to Meet With Hunger Strikers on Their 220th Hour

New York, NY. Through rain and shine, 10 immigrant youth have conducted an indefinite day hunger strike since June 1st, consuming only water and pedialyte. They have endured hunger pains and inclement weather to urge Senator Schumer to move the Dream Act as a stand-alone bill immediately.

On Tuesday June 8th, exactly a week after starting their hunger strike, immigrant youth gave Senator Schumer a deadline of this Thursday at noon to meet with him to discuss their demands. The Senator’s office has only responded with a tentative meeting date of June 18th which is unacceptable. Immigrant Youth are putting their lives on the line because they need the Dream Act immediately.

As the Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, Schumer has the power to move the Dream Act forward today but chooses not too. He chooses to keep our dreams hostage while our time is running out!

Every year 70,000 undocumented students graduate U.S. high schools. They have little hope of pursuing their dreams. The DREAM Act would allow immigrant youth who meet certain criteria, including coming to the US as children, having graduated from a U.S. high school, and having completed two years of college or military service, a path to citizenship.

On Thursday June 10th, 2010, on Day 10th of the Hunger Strike, the 10 hunger strikers, their families and community members will conduct a rally and press conference demanding that the Senator Schumer move the Dream Act immediately and meet with the students!

When: Thursday, June 10th 2010 at Noon

Where: In front of Schumer's office located on 757 Third Ave New York, NY 10017

Thursday, June 3, 2010

70th Hour for the 70,000 Dreams DeferredEvery year 70,000 undocumented students graduate each year from high school with little hopes of pursuing their dreams. On June 5th, 2010, on Day 4 of the Hunger Strike, the 10 hunger strikers, their families and community members will mark the 70thhour of their hunger strike in honor of the dreams that have been deferred.

The vigil will consists of a prayer ceremony, personal story sharing and a demand that Senator Schumer move the Dream Act forward as a stand alone bill.

As the Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, Schumer has the power to move the dream act forward now but he chooses not too. He chooses to keep our dreams hostage and our time is running out! It’s been about 10 years fighting for this bill and we can’t wait anymore, our dreams can’t wait anymore.

Come and Join STARVED 4 DREAM as we say Schumer, MOVE the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill NOW!

When: Friday, June 4th at 7pm - RAIN or SHINE

Where: In front of Schumer's office located on 757 Third Ave New York, NY 10017

Please bring flashlights or electric candles (not real candles). Invite your friends, family members and neighbors to join the strikers of starved4dream. Our families are the ones that are there for us, that support us in what we do. Their dreams have become ours, It’s because of those dreams that we’re in this country today.

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Help the strikers everyday by calling Senator Schumer’s office at 212-486-4430 and say you want him to move the DREAM Act forward as a stand-alone bill.

You can also donate the following items: pedialite, bottles of water, sleeping bags, baby wipes, sunscreen, and yoga mats. Bring the items to the hunger strike site directly: 757 Third Ave New York, NY 10017. Call us at 347-755-3303 ,or email Kiran@nysylc.org

It is now more than four months since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, leveling much of the Port-au-Prince area and killing nearly a quarter of a million people. Haiti has dropped out of the headlines—predictably—but the crisis hasn't gone away. Earthquake survivors still have very limited access to food, employment, and medical care; most of the 1.7 million people left homeless by the earthquake (according to new figures from the United Nations) go on living in the hundreds of improvised encampments in and around the capital.

I had an email conversation in April with Paul Philomé, a spokesperson for the leftist group Batay Ouvriye (Workers' Struggle), about grassroots organizing in Port-au-Prince since the earthquake. Batay Ouvriye is best known outside Haiti for its unionization efforts over the past two decades in the tariff-exempt apparel assembly plants—the sector that the "international community" is again promoting as an engine of economic development. [...]

About The Politics of Immigration

The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers is a book that goes beyond soundbites to tackle concerns about immigration in straightforward language and an accessible question-and-answer format. For immigrants and supporters, the book is a useful tool to confront stereotypes and disinformation. For those who are undecided about immigration, it lays out the facts and clear reasoning they need to develop an informed opinion. Ideal for classroom use, the updated and expanded 2017 edition provides a succinct overview of U.S. immigration history, policy, and practice, with detailed notes guiding readers toward further exploration.
Guskin and Wilson have written extensively on immigration and facilitated dozens of dialogues on the topic with students, community activists, congregations, and other public audiences. To arrange a dialogue or for more information, contact them at thepoliticsofimmigration@gmail.com.
To stay in the loop on author events and related resources, follow the book on Twitter (@Immigration_QA) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ImmigrationQA/).